Is there somebody working in this project?

[Pablo Gómez Abajo]

Good afternoon,

I would like to know if there is somebody still working in this project. I saw that the last update was made in September 25th, 2013.

Thanks in advance,

Pablo

[Nick Matthews]

Hi Pablo,

The project has been renamed, it is now called HistoryCal. See http://historycal.org although the website is a bit out of date.

Thanks for your interest, and do let me know if there is anything in particular you were hoping to see.

Nick

[Pablo Gómez Abajo]

Hi Nick,

I'm a master's degree student at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, and I would like to apply some usability techniques to your project. These techniques are intended to be used in the requirements phase.

I chose your project because I found there is no similar application in usual ofimatic packages, as far as I know. Also I find it is a good idea to create a calculator for dates.

At first, I would like to ask you a few questions:

Which tool are you using to compile your project?
Is it a MS Windows oriented software, Linux oriented, or both?

Thank you very much.

Pablo

[Nick Matthews]

This project, now HistoryCal, has a number of objectives but its ultimate users will be historians and genealogists. If you are not used to historical dating systems, they are more difficult than you might expect and there is an awful lot of miss-information around about them. One object of HistoryCal is that it will be a central place for this information and able to provide definitive descriptions of the calendars used.

I have started to describe the types of calendar schemes formally at http://historycal.org/cal/index.htm but I intend to include a less formal description in the manual section of the website soon. I should emphasize that this is only the start. (And it is out of date.)

The project is broken down into the following sub projects.

1 The Cal library.

This is the engine that does all the work. It is written in C++ and has a only a small (included in the project) utf-8 C library as a dependent. Only a small API is needed to use the library and it would be very easy to provide a C API which in turn could be used to make the library available in other languages, such as Basic or Python.

It is also intended that this library can be used in other programs, such as my own genealogy program "The Family Pack".

2 The Calendar Scripts

Although the basic calendar types are built in to the library, variants of these are created using a special script language. This way it is possible to add new calendars schemes without having to recompile everything.

3 The Test Programs.

There are 3 command line test programs written in C++ and are OS independent. Two of these programs use the CppUnit C++ library.

4 The Reference Program.

This is a GUI program written in C++ using the wxWigets library. wxWidget programs can be compiled to run on Windows, Mac, Linux and other Unix type OS's. Development is currently carried out on Windows using Visual Studio 2008 Express.
The user interface is created using the wxFormsBuilder program. (see https://sourceforge.net/projects/historycal for screen shots.)

Currently very little time has been spent on this program as most effort has gone into the Cal library, however with a bit of effort this could be a very useful program for anyone who has to deal with historical dates. I'm not aware of any similar app being available (although, admittedly, it is a very small market).

It could be give several alternative interfaces. A more calculator like interface with buttons numbers and months etc. A more conventional calendar like interface laid out in years and months. There are lots of possibilities.

5 A Web Application

I am not committed to this, but it is possible. Tools exist to convert C++ libraries into JavaScript. This would make it possible to create a web app. This would be an attractive tool for anyone with only a passing interest in date conversion and calculations since it would work anywhere (including with tablets and smartphones) without needing to be set up.

In Conclusion.

I should point out that I am currently the sole developer and I am largely self taught in both programming and history although I have programmed professionally. I'm quite at home with windows but have only limited experience with the Mac and Linux, although I have managed to compile my programs on both of these. There are no commercial aspects to this project, I'm retired and view it as a challenge.

Sorry for the long reply,
Nick

[Pablo Gómez Abajo]

Thank you very much Nick!

The purpose of my work is to give you an enhanced user interface design. To reach that point, I'm going to use a visual brainstorming technique, adapted for an Open Source Software project, as this is the case.

This technique consists in asking users to make their own designs for the interface, and at a more advanced stage, to study all of these designs and merge the best ideas into a final one. For that I'll follow these steps:

Step 1. I'm going to build a blog where interested users will be able to download a binary of your project, so people with a non-high level of computer skills will be able to try it. Also I will give them some instructions on what they have to do, and talk a little bit about your project.

Step 2. Inside this blog I will publish an e-mail address, so people will be able to send me their own designs as image files.

Step 3. I will spread the url of this blog across social networks, hoping some of my contacts will have a little time to read it and participate in the brainstorming.

Step 4. At the end, I will gather all these designs, and after that I will try to get the best ideas and make a final design. This final design is what I will send you as a result of my research.

I would like to know if this is fine to you.

Best regards,

Pablo

[Nick Matthews]

It's an interesting idea Pablo, and I'm absolutely fine with it. In some ways this project is well suited to this approach because of the clear separation between the engine and user interface. The only concern I would have is in identifying the users. As I said, I'm not aware of anything already on the market, even if you were willing to pay for it - so there isn't a ready audience for us. I suspect it is the type of thing you didn't know you wanted until someone gives it to you.

One problem is that it works on many levels of complexity which may put some people off, like giving them a scientific calculator when they only want to add up a couple numbers. Some of it capabilities:-

1 Simple date conversion between calendar schemes.
2 Allow for date uncertainty by using date ranges.
3 Express more than one date range at a time.
4 Express a range using different calendar schemes at the same time.
5 Use set theory operations on the ranges.
6 Use date functions, like calculate a date range given a fixed date and an age.

If all you wanted to do was item 1, it would still be worth while, because it will bring so many different types of calendar schemes together in one place without the need to do partial conversions first.

To practical matters - if I haven't put you off - I am just finishing some changes to the library. As soon as I am satisfied everything is still working I can package up a windows version for you to have a closer look at. This may take a few days.

Nick.

[Pablo Gómez Abajo]

Thank you very much Nick!

I think it fits perfectly with what I intend to do.

Concerning users identification: I understand you completely well. Maybe we can solve this matter by spreading the blog only across closed social networks, such as linkedIn or Facebook, where users would be just friends of mine, or job colleagues, and just avoid spreading it across twitter or other opened social networks. Just tell me what you prefer.

I have to tell you that our team has to finish this work as fast as possible. So maybe we could work on a previous version of your project, without your last updates.

Thank you so much.

Pablo

[Nick Matthews]

Prior versions would not be usable, the program has never been run outside of the development system. I was working towards a release before the end of the year but I can postpone any additions. Apart clearing a few outstanding bugs I need to create a installer for it.

Also the website, and the manual section in particular, will need some work - especially if the users are not familiar with the subject.

Perhaps you could give me an idea of the time scale for your project (from start to finish) and I will do my best to fit in.

On initial release I was hoping to attract some beta testers but they will probably be few in number. So the more you can recruit the better.

Nick

[Pablo Gómez Abajo]

Ok, Nick.

I have to present some results on December 3rd, so it will be very helpful if you could give me an installer during next week.

Meanwhile, I may start by building the blog.

Thanks.